The Mame Kurogouchi brand was created in 2010 around the concept of "combat uniforms for modern society." Maiko Kurogouchi's first solo exhibition "10 Mame Kurogouchi" retraces the past ten years of the brand and is currently being held at Nagano Prefectural Art Museum. On display are a range of works, from the 2011 Spring/Summer collection to the 2020 Fall/Winter collection. Follow along her footsteps at this exhibition, which guides visitors through the archives and Kurogouchi's approach to design using 10 keywords, as well as the based on comments from Ms. Kurogouchi.

Background behind the iconic 10 keywords​​

The Nagano Prefectural Art Museum (formerly Shinano Museum), located close to Zenkoji Temple,​​​reopened in April 2021. Kurogouchi designed the new staff uniforms, leading to the museum celebrating her brand's 10th anniversary by holding an exhibition, which she had also been wanting to hold. The museum is surrounded by nature and features 3 exhibition gallery spaces. 10 Mame Kurogouchi is being held in exhibition gallery 3 and was organized with the help of Takashi Nakahara, the architect behind several 21_21 Design Sight exhibitions and the Fashion in Japan 1945-2020 exhibition.​​3​​​3​21​​​​​

Some of the keywords that define the brand are "notebooks," "curves," "colors," "crafts," "I-novels," "textures," and "travel." "I began working on the exhibition by interviewing Soken Ito, who helped with the book '10 Mame Kurogouchi,' squeezing out the words that came to mind one by one. It was quite difficult to come up with words that defined the brand and it was a mysterious phase that made us confront ourselves. We selected the words that described the brand the best without being too biased, and then linking those words to the collections was quite fun. I was surprised to realize that the 'what' of my creations for the brand hasn't actually changed. What's changed over the months and years is simply the 'how' when it comes to expressing my ideas."​​​​​​​

For example, the "Nagano" section features PVC bags, which have always been one of the brand's iconic items, displayed like icicles, and the debut collection (2011 Spring/Summer) as well as the 2014 Fall/Winter and 2020 Fall/Winter collections have their outfits inspired by piling snow on display. The section expresses the origin of the creations and inspiration as coming from the majestic nature of Kurogouchi's home prefecture, Nagano. ​​​​​​​The "Crafts" section is made up of sources of inspiration, including tools by craftsmen from all over Japan, books by Charlotte Perriand on related exhibitions, and Kutani-ware plates with family crests handed down through the Kurogouchi family. These are placed next to Kurogouchi's collections, showing the time between learning about these traditional techniques and creating pieces based on cutting-edge technology. ​​​The "Dream" section gives visitors a sense of nostalgia. Vintage photographs displayed during the exhibition for the 2013 Fall/Winter Collection "Your Memory" and a project board made of pink sticky notes with design ideas and the fictitious stories of characters imagined by Kurogouchi have also been recreated.2013​​​

​The source of Kurogouchi's aesthetics, written across 10 years' worth of notes

The "Notebook" section has a large presence among these keywords. If you look into the large glass case placed at the center of the exhibition gallery, you'll find a line of notebooks laid open. Kurogouchi has been writing one notebook for each season since before the brand began, and 360 pages from these notebooks have been chosen to be shown to the public for the first time. Visitors can get a glimpse into the free ideas and subtle perspectives that are the source of Kurogouchi's imagination through her dream descriptions and memos, travel drawings and articles, and diaries that describe silly everyday events.​​​​360​

“"Now I realize that the roots of my sense in aesthetics lies in the time I spent during my childhood. Until I came to Tokyo, life in the countryside was boring, so I longed for the city and left my hometown, but the triggers that cause me to sense that something is "beautiful" or "interesting" now that I am an adult are based on what I cultivated as a child. For example, with the PVC series that has had a presence since the first season,​I created everlasting ice, which is based on my memories of icicles and skating on ice as a child. I wanted to change that beauty that I felt as a child into clothes, and I've always thought that I'd one day like to take that idea back to Nagano.I would be especially happy if young people living in this area could visit [the exhibition]. I hope it will lead not only aspiring designers but also people in other professions to understanding that beauty can be found everywhere in everyday life. 

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The book "10 Mame Kurogouchi," made to accompany the exhibition and edited by Soken Ito, takes a comprehensive look at Kurogouchi's works and will be released at the end of July through Seigensha Art Publishing. The book, which consists of collections, behind-the-scenes information, photographs, essays, novels, etc., complements the exhibition and serves as a "readable exhibition." Please re-experience Nagano through these 10 years of Kurogouchi's history and origins, with this book as your guide.​​

■ 10 Mame Kurogouchi
Period: Saturday, June 19 - Sunday, August 15, 2021
1-4-4 Hakoshimizu, Nagano-shi, Nagano​​- Official Website (Japanese)
Address:1-4-4 Hakoshimizu, Nagano-shi, Nagano 380-0801 (east of Zenkoji Temple )